For those that may almost care about this little known fact: I have been either arrested, detained or stopped by authorities on four occasions on or surrounding the actual date of my birthday.

This of course leads me to believe that God has likely cursed the day I was born and wants me to know that any chance of celebrating the anniversary of being brought into the world will be thwarted if he has any sayso.

Ok maybe God didn’t do that, but it sure feels like it.

And don’t get me wrong, I know the deal, everything happens for a reason…what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger…Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and blah blah friggin blah.
I was in a cell for two days without food, a visible clock, a decent seat or real sleep so pardon me if I’m not choosing the spiritual path on this fine day to cope with my misfortune.
It could’ve been a lot worse for me so I’m not tripping.

And I learned a lot during my short stay with my fellow cell buddies.

I met a few rappers, I met a bunch of rappers, a young dancer that smacked up his girlfriend, a coke dealer whose girl wouldn’t take the rap for him, a man with kidney failure that had his dialysis treatment halted by jail, one guy that got locked for holding a train door open for a kid, another swiped his Metrocard for someone he didn’t know and got accused of selling swipes, and I even ran into a fan or two.

The system is the system, and once you’re arrested, they want you to go through it as an inconvenience that will hopefully deter you from coming close to doing any sort of crime again.

“To Protect and Serve” should not be the mantra of the police force. I don’t even have the extreme “eff the police” view that some folks have but I will say that they are more like a fraternity than a gang.

The force is made up of individuals who may not actually change because of the badge, but they use the power of the badge to be who they really are. They could have been corny in high school, in love with firearms, obsessed with power, all of these characteristics lead to folks that forget about helping a community and become concerned with numbers, provoking fear, and making sure they go home in one piece.

All that means they’ll do whatever to ensure their safety, including making you feel like the assailant and victim all at once.

I don’t know what it is about freedom that’s so precious. Until you lose it, then you know exactly what it is. Asking permission to use the bathroom, or to use the phone, not knowing what time it is, and not seeing daylight are the small things we take for granted and they can be snatched from us because another human being has the right to do so.

You are subject to restrictions because of the laws built in the space you reside in based on a certain time period, and these guys are the protectors of those laws…supposedly.
Smoking weed in one area of the world is illegal while somewhere else it isn’t. Killing in the hood is unlawful but murdering for your country is cool. And this is the justice system we humans made up. A jury of your peers will decide your fate if you ever do something that extreme. But what if you don’t do anything extreme but you still end up in a precinct?

For some of you this sounds foreign. Why would a police officer detain you or even harass you if you weren’t doing something wrong? It is because that is their job. It doesn’t mean firemen have to be arsonists or doctors should spread diseases but the best security guard in the world may get praised more for handling an incident over a low incident rate.
Was I supposed to feel cool that some people in Central Booking recognized me as an emcee? I didn’t. Was I supposed to have a lawyer on retainer for instances like this? Maybe definitely.

Should I feel like I never want to go through that process again so I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I don’t? That’s their plan. Or is it?

When so many cases get thrown out for being foolery, the system may seem to suffer and waste time but I still had to pay a court fee and that Booking area will be just as packed tonight with charges that won’t stick, teens that won’t be as affected as I was, and dudes that have been there so many times that they’re on a first name basis with officers.

I can tell you that two days away from the world is nothing compared to real time in prison. The difference for most people going to jail is that they wake up that day knowing they’re going or aware that they are about to do something that may land them there.

The similarity is that both are treated like a number and like someone that deserves to be behind bars.

So here I am, still mad at myself, disappointed for missing my own bday shindig, trying not to hate the law enforcement occupation, and you were waiting for a Watch The Throne review.

Well I heard it, I watched it, I learned a lot about Jay’s watch collection and his new fixation on the “ugh” adlib, both of their bank accounts, and for some strange reason I’m anticipating a Drake album. I know right, I made that face too. Shout to Ye and Jay though for making people pay attention and attempting to do some groundbreaking stuff.

Update: By some strange happenstance I ran into the officer that arrested me when I was leaving the studio last night, he said he wanted to let me go and then laughed when I told him I spent two days in there. He laughed alone.

Tell me your authority story…

Ban “Otis” freestyles!

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4 Comments on “Monday Ramble #48 “Arrested Development””

How funny is it that I spent the better part (or worse depending on when you ask) of 36 hours detained from 8/9/11 – 8/11/11, For what you ask… I could not prove who I was, yep forgot my purse at home and got caught in one of Atlanta’s Famous Roadblocks…. I could not believe it myself, especially when a) my bond was set @ 1700, and b) The judge would not let me sign my own bond. I really started thinking I would be the only person doing major time for not being able to prove who I was… by the way do you get hood credit for that type of charge?…

I am sorry to read about how you spent you birthday… That sucks.. Unfortunately I also have a jail experience… Driving home with my sister from a club one night… Cops pull us over because one of my sister’s tail lights were out.. She pulls out her info & gives it to one of the cops, & the other cop proceeds to the passenger side of the car to ask me for my license..” Me”, not thinking that there is anything wrong with my background history, I give him my license… & when he comes back to the car proceeds to tell me to exit, because he is placing me under arrest.. Of course I ask what for and he says something bout a warrant out for my arrest petty theft or some shit like that from some years ago….I told them that this wasnt possible, & the description didnt match.. They told me that I could have dyed my hair, and had contacts in.. Just a whole bunch of stupid “could’ves” that didnt relate to me.. I am not a person to panic, I just get quiet.
They decided to be nice and let me take off my jewelry and other expensive belongings & told me to bring a sweater.. They tried to converse the whole ride there, telling me that I would be out real soon.. “as in if this was supposed to comfort me”.. but in my mind, I was thinking if I am getting out so soon whats the reason for placing me under arrest..

The holding cell was the most disgusting place I have ever been.. One toilet, about 20 women lapped over & on each other.. Smelly, dirty, prostitutes, cold, I didnt speak to anyone but i heard a whole bunch of “My license was suspended, calling officers by first names and how they tried to run from them, talks about their pimps, old bottom b**ches arguing with other prostitutes & threatening each other, one women killed her abusive husband… some trying to converse with me even though I ignored them.. I was cold bare-footed, didnt eat… but yes I thought to myself, i cannot wait to get up outta here..Only thoughts of God were “Really? What did I do to deserve this?” I stayed throughout the night until the next day when they escorted us bare-footed to the court through the halls where everyone watched us as they paraded us.. then we were being transferred to the jail..
I refused to have this process go further & I dont know what I was going to do to avoid being put in an orange suit,, but luckily I was bailed out right before that..

I figure all that time that I had been to court about traffic tickets & things of so forth through out the previous years, why all of a sudden now I have a warrant out for my arrest..??.But any who… I hope that was my only and last experience having to do with being in jail cell.. I have a selective memory so I couldve left out a few things but I remember what I needed to..

BTW That is the most hideous morphed picture up there…^ ^
Thank you for the Watch for the Throne review.. havent heard it and I was not really in a rush to do so….